Heather's Thingies Blog

Memorial Day Weekend Forecast...

by Heather's Thingies,posted May 27 2011 7:52AM

#1 Reason for this weekend.. Remembrance of
the fallen ones and those who are still giving
their all!! THANK YOU!! YOU ROCK!!

Memorial Day weekend has also become the 'Unofficial'
start of Summer (official 1st day 6/21) ... with plans for fun
with family...with friends.. eating out, going to movies,
heading to the beach. Ted laughed at me yesterday when
I said shopping. Shopping is HUGE on Memorial Day Weekend.
You can run across lots of Great Deals!!
The 'AAA' Memorial Day Forecast on everything Memorial Day WKND
says that 43% of peeps go shopping on Memorial Day Weekend.
There's lots of other cool stats too..

-Memorial Day Holiday Travel Period
For purposes of this forecast the Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as trips that include travel of 50 miles or
more away from home during the 5 day period from Thursday, May 26 to Monday, May 30.

-34.9 million travelers will journey at least 50 miles from home

- air travel will increase over 11% this year, so much sure you get to the airport, check in, security early..
so you have plenty of time

- TX falls in the West South Central Area-
The Memorial Day holiday travel forecast calls for an increase of 0.7 percent in West South Central (WSC) region holiday
travel relative to last year. Travel is expected to remain relatively steady with record-high gas prices for this time of year
holding back demand on the heels of regional economic recovery. Air and automobile travel are expected to rise by 12.1
percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, since Memorial Day 2010. About 10.4 percent of the WSC population is predicted
to travel this Memorial Day period, which is slightly less than the estimated national frequency of 11.1 percent

-average spent $692 and an average 25% will be spent on 'SHOPPING" & 'ENTERTAINMENT..

Here's some shopping tips that need to follow too. I have a tendency to impulse buy when
I'm out of town.

1. The HALT Method:This spending prevention plan is based on recognizing the underlying emotions behind retail therapy and encourages consciously considering feelings of Hunger, Anger, Loneliness or Tiredness (HALT) before buying something in an attempt to fill one or many of those needs. It's the reason you shouldn't go to the grocery store when you're hungry, and it's why a new pair of shoes seems like a necessity the day you get dumped.

2. The Stranger Test: This is a terrific means for reminding yourself that a dollar is a dollar is a dollar. Picture a stranger offering you the cash value of the item you're considering buying, or the item itself. Would you take the cash or the item? If you're dying for a $3 cup of coffee, you may stick with the plan. If you're eying a $600 handbag, then realize if a stranger handed you $600, it's a couple of car payments, you might think twice about splurging on the purse.

3. The $100 Rule: It's a simple idea: The higher the price of an item, the more you should think before buying it. Specifically, take the potential expenditure and divide it by $100 to get the total number of days you should think it over. For example, a $300 grill would be contemplated for three days, but you'd give a couple of weeks thought to it before buying a $1,400 laptop.

Major retailers in standalone stores and traditional malls are starting to unveil their Memorial Day plans. DailyFinance will continue to update this list, so let us know if you spot or score any exceptionally good deals.
Walmart (WMT): The everyday low price champ will stay true to its mantra -- look for compelling deals on everything from beach to barbecue gear and rock-bottom food prices.

Macy's (M): We got in touch with Macy's and they've tipped us off that there will be a series of two-day specials on luggage, blenders, men's polo shirts, women's sandals, and select bras. Standard Macy's fare.
Sears (SHLD): Its six-day Memorial Day sale began Thursday. Watch for name-brand appliance discounts and heavy Lands End merchandising, complimented by fact that Lands End bathing suit catalogs landed in old-fashioned mailboxes this week.
Home Depot (HD): If you're looking to get some work done around the house, they're having a Memorial Day paint sale with $5 per gallon off for paint and stain.
Hollister (ANF): All swimwear for "dudes" and "Bettys" is 30% off. The bikinis are adorable and the men's bathing suits seem to be well-constructed enough to hold up over time.
L.L. Bean: Offering 70% off select footwear including trendy and sporty sandals for a limited time.

Target (TGT): We spoke with Target and they have revealed their weekly circular is featuring a Slushy Maker for $16 and -- much to this mother's chagrin -- NERF Super Soakers for $14. They also have a ton of melamine plates and tumblers for $1.99 and folding chairs for $9. Their "Weekly Wow" promotion is on bottles and cans of Pepsi.

Lowe's (LOW): The hardware giant is offering free delivery on mowers, grills and patio furniture of $249 or more. They've also got a 3-foot-by-5-foot United States flag for $7.

J.C. Penney (JCP): Their sales are all about timing and seem focused on getting customers on the front end of the weekend with "door buster" deals on Friday beginning at 3 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m. Be sure to bring this coupon.

Gap: Their website is incredibly sale-centric. Enter the promo code: GAPSAVE to get an extra 30% off some existing sale prices. They also tend to have surprise in-store sales, and have posted an invite on Facebook for 40% off.

Old Navy: They're touting clothes starting at $6 online and in-store, and "flip flop fever" with certain styles as low as $2.50.

(2010 in front of the Texas State Aquarium)

Have a Happy & Safe Memorial Day Weekend!
Ted, Huey & I are headed to Corpus Christi for the weekend.

Looking forward to getting in some beach time and maybe?!!
a little shopping.. gotta do about 25% of that right, stick to the survey!! LOLHuey's ready to go too...